China’s antitrust authority approves the Boeing-Embraer deal

BRAZIL (Reuters): China’s antitrust authority has approved Boeing’s deal to buy a controlling stake in the commercial aircraft division of Brazilian planemaker Embraer, according to a statement on the authority’s website.

The Boeing-Embraer deal is included in a Nov. 19 list of “unconditionally approved” transactions published on the website of the antitrust division of the State Administration of Market Regulation.

The document did not provide further details, except that the case had been resolved 10 days earlier, on November 9.

Boeing, the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer, is trying to finalize the purchase of 80% of Embraer’s commercial aircraft division in a bid to compete with Europe’s Airbus in the market for planes with fewer than 150 seats.

China’s approval comes after EU regulators delayed a decision until both companies provided additional documents, which Embraer says it is trying to do as quickly as possible.

The companies originally said they expected to complete the deal this year.

(Reporting by Jake Spring; Editing by Bill Berkrot)